Night with One Starr: In the Black of Day
by smokepelt
Summary: Sequeal to Night with One Starr; I highly suggest you read that before you read In the Black of Day. Genre 3: Mystery. The 'ferret has disappeared without a trace, but she's done her job. Zoey's inner group is utterly destroyed. Even the gods have abandoned them. Can Stark help Erik find his sister? Or is the threat too great, now that she's dead? I own none of the original series.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! Finally got this sequel out. I hope all of my old readers (and obviously ever-continuing new) found this okay. So sorry I took forever to update! I was planning to give you guys this chapter for the holidays, and… well, I got caught up with school. Happy New Year! Here you go.**

**Oh, I should mention the POVs will switch mostly between Erik, Stark, and a mystery character I'm sure you'll be wondering about. Just remember that Starr is… yeah.**

_Erik_

"_I will love you forever, my Night." _

I woke with a start. It had only been a reminder of that night, the second time I had lost her. The blinding flash of the Sacred Runes as she gave her life to obliterate the growing Dark forces. The memory had just been a dream.

But she was still dead. Killed by the ruined ex-High Priestess known as Neferet. I absently reached down and stroked her cat's unkempt silver-and-white fur. Aleu rarely did anything now that she was gone, unable to come back.

Spirits, I missed her. Forgetting her was like forgetting how to breathe.

Starr Lord. The one who I had been drawn to through Tracker instincts. The one who had already borne Marks and needed no more. The one who guarded the Sacred Runes. The Goddess of the Soul, Nyx's sister, Chosen of Chaos, who held my allegiance.

…The one I had failed yet again.

"Erik?" The human poked his head in. My stomach recoiled at the sight of him. He had been her best friend, once. Jet. "Are you okay?"

I emitted a wolf-like growl. Likos had been watching over me and taught me how to turn into a wolf at will, like she had done in the battle the 'ferret had almost/actually killed me. "What do you want?" I snapped.

"I'll take that as a no." He pushed aside the curtain that served for a door and walked in. "What's wrong?"

"You know damn well what's wrong." I shoved my head under the pillow to hide the tears misting my eyes, feeling my rage subside into sorrow. As usual, grief had a tendency to switch. "It's something that can't be fixed."

Luckily, he took that as a dismissal and retreated. Sometimes the elements that we were all close to in some way were no help. Aeras tortured me, hearing her voice on the wind. Piras was no better; when I saw fire, I could only think of her temper, so fierce yet so gentle, destroying and creating and protecting. Hudor and Gaea brought memories of the beach and the concert on said beach, where she had poured her loss into performing, only to have a miracle granted as I came back from the dead. And Pneuma was the worst. I had come back just for her, but I had lost her. I still felt her presence at times, which was none other than spirit's doing. I wished with my entire essence that she would come back, that one day I would wake up and find her with me again.

I was not the only one. Chaos had retired to Asteri's Shrine soon after her death. She had left a hole in her father that would never heal. Nyx and her other siblings, even Kalona (we had learned), were more subdued, never really getting involved in much of anything. She had left her mark on the whole of the Great Deities: _None _of the gods or goddesses wanted anything to do with the earth plane. The Otherworld was sealed off from us, as was the Realm of Dreams.

All because of the girl who fought through to so many hearts, including my own.

Shaylin, _our _Shaylin and not the Other created of her, poked her head in. "Erik?" she whispered.

I stretched languidly. "I'm not going to kill you, if that's what you're afraid of," I responded calmly, knowing even if I acted she would be able to _see_ what I was feeling.

"Can I come in?" I nodded, and she took a few steps into the room. "You really miss her."

It was not phrased as a question, but I answered anyway. "Yeah. What do my colors show?"

"I try to block them out," she replied defensively. I shrugged. "Yours are changing. No, they've changed before she left, but now you're even more… murky, I guess. You are either confused or frustrated, or both." She frowned, looking puzzled.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but it's not–" A punch-like feeling in my gut shut me up.

Shaylin cocked a brow. "You have flecks of hope. What do you think you can do?"

"Nothing," I muttered, turning away dismissively. When she was gone, I murmured to myself, or to whoever was listening: "Starr, if there is any way to get you back, deities so help me, I will find it!"

I also knew Stark, no matter his Oath to Zoey, would help me. If we could find Kalona at a good moment, we would be the trio that Starr loved most – that Asteri needed to survive. Stark and I were once her sentries, Kalona often her mentor. She couldn't be dead.

"Wherever you are hiding, my beautiful Starr, I will find you with my last breath if I have to."


	2. Chapter 2

_Erik_

My eyes clouded over not even an hour after the others left for school. Thanatos had gotten some humans to be in the drama department, and after seeing how much I was capable of lately, she permitted my extended absence.

"What's the Master Rune?" I asked incredulously.

Chaos' harsh gaze rested cruelly on me. "The only Rune that Starr does not possess, because it was fashioned for her Guardian. I suggest you find out how to obtain it and get her soul back. She can stay peacefully in the Otherworld until you come home."

I blinked the vision away. A Rune that was designed specifically for me? Finding Starr?

…Was she actually _alive? _

My brain rejected the thought since it would hurt too badly to get another heartache. The reaction I got in my soul was completely different: My pulse began to race and the new Marks on my wrists burned in response. The two eclipse tattoos glowed softly. I needed her. Otherwise I would die. We all would, in fact. But first, how did I get a vision? The Otherworld was supposed to be sealed off from us!

A faint chuckle interrupted my thoughts. I whirled around, my fist closing around the hilt of the claymore on my waist. Apollo leaned against the wall, smirking. Warmth crept under my skin, urging me to calm down. "For a creature of the night, you sure react well to daylight," he greeted, amber eyes glittering with mischief.

"What do you want, O Great God?" I sneered. "Did you get locked out of the Otherworld?"

His expression abruptly hardened. "Actually, yes. Because I thought I might have the slightest chance to help you find her." I turned away from the steely gaze. "I loved her once, briefly. Then I was content serving as her brother, as Artemis was like a sister and she had you. She still needs you, whether she's dead or alive. I'm going to help you no matter what." He paused. "That wasn't technically a vision. It was more a memory of mine from before I locked myself out."

"Like you have much of a choice now," I muttered under my breath.

_Unknown_

I looked up as Neferet made her speech. She was a nuisance, but for as long as I had been part of her exclusive team in the Dark Realm, I would not complain.

Sometimes I would get snippets of memory. Randomly and without any relevance, warning, or… Wait. Is that what random means? I had no clue what was what anymore. I had been part of the Dark Force for a few weeks – or months, maybe – but everyone around me said that I'd had an accident. The way the tones implied, it had been horrible; I recognized it as tragic enough to steal my memory. If I had even had a memory.

No, I must have. The snatches of visions, I believe they're called, had to have come from somewhere. I had lived another life, once. Neferet had told me that she had saved me, a Dark creature, from Light: that I had been stolen and hidden far away because I rivaled their greatest power, Asteri, so much. From as long as I had been conscious since then, I had seen no sign of this Asteri girl. Although anytime her name was mentioned, my blood would burn in recognition and hatred. I was meant to kill the girl – goddess? – and Neferet had done so before me.

Cheers of "Praise the Goddess" and things of that nature sailed around me. I only stared at the former High Priestess of Nyx, trying to envision a life on the other side. It brought me great agony within moments, so I veered away from that thought and went on my patrol alone, grabbing my guitar and swords as I did so.

Unknown to the rest of the crowd and even me, Neferet saw my near-black eyes flash gold from her position on the podium. But she would not tell me for a long time to come.

_Stark_

"Shit!" Zoey exclaimed. I looked up from where I sat. Her eyes were bright. "I can't believe I didn't think of it before!" She smiled when I cocked a brow. She was a little too happy for my liking. Not to mention she just sort of cursed. "I want a Council meeting ASAP. Find Thanatos and tell her I'll be borrowing some students and professors, would you? I need to find the others."

So much for the free period Thanatos had given us. I sighed, wanting to do nothing more than go back to the depot and see Erik. He was planning something, I could _feel _it. He and I hadn't talked since you-know-what, because we reminded each other too much of _her_, but what if there was some way…

My thoughts were interrupted as a flash of non-burning sunlight shot down in front of me. Apollo stood there, grinning. And with a flicker of silver-black light, Erik materialized alongside him, as well.

"I heard there was a Council meeting," Erik stated without preamble. There was a new trust in his blue eyes that made me wonder what had happened.

I started walking, trusting them to fall into step. They did. "I was on my way to tell Thanatos now, actually."

Apollo was still grinning, which freaked me out a bit. Who knew what he would end up getting into? "I know you two will be shocked when you hear the news. The others will be, too – once they get a double-header."

"What?" My brain immediately began to think of anything relevant that he (and Erik, for that matter) would be so confident in.

When Erik averted his eyes and pressed his lips together, I had my answer.


	3. Chapter 3

_Erik_

While we waited for Zoey and the others, I found myself doing random stuff on Thanatos' laptop. Completely bored, I plugged in the earbuds sitting nearby, went on YouTube, and typed something in while looked at Apollo. Yes, I was one of those people.

Music started playing. A faint look of discomfort appeared on Apollo's face; I turned my attention to the screen when the chorus started playing, making my stomach turn. "Lost" by Within Temptation was playing. It fit the situation perfectly.

_Oh, Starr… _I thought, hearing a quiet strumming of guitar just on the edge of audibility. _You don't know how much I miss you. _

The others were starting to show up. I closed the laptop as soon as the song was over, feeling a sharp pain in my chest. I thought I had been broken. Maybe I was wrong.

There was only one way to find out.

_Unknown_

I slung the guitar over my back, hearing notes run through my head but not having the heart to play. There was no reason to patrol, anyway, but nobody believed me. How did I know such things when I didn't even know my own name? It made zero sense.

_What happened to me? _I wondered, not for the first time. I wanted to know who I was, what I was born for; for whatever reason, I had no faith in Neferet.

Ahead of me, the undergrowth moved. I halted. Unsheathing my swords, I called out "Who's there?" in a voice that clearly had not been used in a while.

Moonstone eyes peered out of the gloom. "A friend," the mystery creature said, and was gone.

_Erik_

"Zoey?" When I saw how excited she was, I understood why Stark had been unnerved. Apollo stood at my back, sticking with leaning on the wall rather than sitting with the rest of us. "What happened?"

"I had a brilliant idea!"

Damien tilted his head a bit. "Would this have anything to do with your five Dark Daughters lessons from Nyx?"

"When did that happen?" I exclaimed.

"Really?" Stark chimed in at the same time. We glanced at each other. So both of us were on the same page.

Zoey shifted in her seat. "When you were at the Shakespeare comp, Erik, and when you were still in Chicago, Stark."

Quickly averting his eyes, he muttered, "I was in NYC. My sister was in it." He looked up, straight at me. Recognition flooded through me. She had gotten second and was good enough to beat me – if she didn't have a concert on one of the mandatory practice days. "Now do you get why I seemed to hate you? You broke Zoey's heart, true, but…" I could the darkness of the depths now hid a thousand stories. I wondered how many of them I was involved in indirectly.

"Back to the matter at hand," Apollo interjected, sending some of that calming heat toward the two of us. "Zoey, what did you think of?"

Aurox burst in, moonstone eyes wild. His words came out in a rush: "She sent me into the Dark Realm to check in on things. Neferet is still alive, and she's gotten stronger. I think she stole power from… when she was nearly killed." He took a deep breath, having talked a little too swiftly.

Zoey perked up. "Anything?" she demanded.

The Vessel shook his head. I narrowed my eyes and willed myself into his place. _Liar! _I mused. He held allegiance to her, too, and he knew more than he was letting on. He squirmed under my scrutiny. I jerked back into my own body, silently thanking Apollo for teaching me the soul-jump.

"Oh." Her face fell. "Damn."

"What else were you thinkin' 'bout, Z?" inquired Stevie Rae.

"Right." She resumed the mask of no emotions. Ha, good luck with that. "If I had five lessons to learn about each of the elements and what they truly represent, maybe Erik has to learn some things, too. Maybe we can get Starr back." She rested her gaze on Aurox. "She can't be dead if our old Priestess is drawing magick from her. The power would die off along with her. Not to mention the Sacred Runes would be gone, and all of our strength with them."

Kramisha held up a folded piece of paper. Zoey's eyes flickered with surprise, but she took it. Apollo went rigid behind me and suddenly leapt forward. "No!" Fire shot out of nowhere, as blinding as the sun yet not deadly to the red vamps and fledglings. The paper was gone in the next instant when we could all see. "Are you crazy?" the god snapped. "The Otherworld is sealed off from all of us! We might still have our powers, but any poems that you might get, Poet Laureate, I suggest you ignore them. The Dark army is rising. Their… goddess" – he coughed before continuing, as if saying so choked him – "wants to gain the upper hand. She will fake anything and everything to get what she wants." I turned when I felt his omniscient eyes on my back. If this had been Zoey's idea in the first place, it scared me to the point of hope that both of them had thought of this. "Including…"

"Starr's death," I breathed.


	4. Chapter 4

_Unknown_

I stayed on my so-called patrol for a few hours. When dawn took over the sky, I knew I was supposed to go home and sleep, but I hesitated to do anything that would bring me back to others' view and scrutiny. I didn't want to return to that life of being a puppet.

"Found you!"

A giggling seven-year-old changeling burst from the forest. I caught her easily around the waist and used her momentum to spin on my heel. She gasped when I released her, close enough to flinging her into a tree.

"You know the price for thinking you can attack me," I growled, Dark tendrils writhing around me. They refused to touch me as they did Neferet, but they hung out when they thought they could get a meal. The changeling stared up at me from wide eyes. I sighed. "Get out of here. My anger shall not be wasted on you."

A soothingly deep voice came from behind me. "You handle yourself nicely," it commented.

I whirled again. "Who's there?" I snapped. Now that I was using my voice more, I found that it was easier to speak. Once I had even gotten the crazy urge to sing.

"Who do you think?" I rested one hand on the hilt of my sword, my fingers twitching for the other. A boy stepped out of the shadows, and I recognized his moonstone eyes. "Relax. Do you have a name?"

"Neferet calls me 'pet'," I offered. "I know that's not my name, though."

The boy tilted his head a bit to the side, observing me. "Do you remember your name?" Something in his voice urged me to remember.

I thought back and was rewarded with a migraine hitting me like a ton of bricks. The boy wrapped his arms around me, steadying me when I swayed. "It had something to do with the sky," I rasped around the pain.

"Then I'll name you, okay?" He spun me to face him, his moonstone eyes bluer than I recalled. "You will be… Stella."

"Stella," I echoed. "I like that." I smiled at him. "But what's you name, if I may ask?"

He smiled back. "I'm known as Aurox," he answered.

The name was familiar to me from one of Neferet's rants. I looked at him curiously. "You can't be the one who betrayed Neferet for the side of Light. You're too… you're a lot like me, actually."

"That's why I came back. I wanted to see you." He touched his forehead to mine. "You want to know who you are, and I've only just discovered who I am. Maybe I can help you."

"I don't know…" My hand grazed the hilt of my sword to reassure my jumpy nerves.

Aurox saw the guitar strapped to my back. "You play?" he asked, putting some distance between us. I shrugged. "Do you sing, too?"

"Not really," I answered softly. "A week or so ago I had an accident that took everything from me. I'm not sure of anything anymore." His expression was almost pleading, wanting to have me try. I sighed and pulled the guitar forward.

After warming up with a few chords, I coughed. _You don't sing from the throat, _a small voice inside me spoke up. _You use your whole body and soul. _By the calmness that rushed through my veins, it was sound knowledge. (No pun intended.) I could tell I used to sing, too.

"_I'm lost in the darkness,  
__Fading away  
__I'm still around here  
__Screaming her name  
__She's haunting my dreams  
__I'm trying to survive  
__My heart is frozen  
__I'm losing my mind.  
__Help me, I'm buried alive!" _

Peace stole over my limbs. Aurox had a faint grin on his face. "I knew you could do it. You have the perfect voice."

"Thanks." I slid the guitar back to its original position. "I should probably get going. Will you be here tomorrow?" I asked hopefully.

"If you want me here," he agreed. "Keep safe, Stella."

_Erik_

The meeting had gone fairly well. I knew I was obsessed, but I seriously felt like dying the longer she was away from me. Back in the depot, I leaned my head back against the wall. Exhaustion tugged at my body, but I did not want to sleep.

"_My death, my sacrifice, is not in vain  
__Let the Master Rune bring forth tenfold pain!"_

I looked at Apollo sharply when I sensed the shift in the air around him. Although I did not physically hear the words, they echoed in my mind. "What are you doing?"

"God of prophecy and poetry at your service," he replied. Then he sighed. "I feel bad about earlier with Kramisha. She loves poetry almost as much as you love acting, if not more," he added tauntingly.

I didn't take the bait. "Prophecy for what? Wait… did you send Starr the–?" He met my gaze sorrowfully, stopping the words from coming. I sucked in a sharp breath.

Aurox knocked and entered in the same moment. "Apollo, what will happen if… if we don't get her back?"

"Try not to think about that," Apollo told the former Vessel. "For Neferet to win, she has to go through Chaos. By ruling all vampyres, she needs to defeat Nyx and Erebus, but by starting the war she so craves with humans, it interrupts what Chaos created long ago."

"To win, though." I glared at Aurox as he kept talking. "Chaos needs Asteri, doesn't he?"

"Technically." Uncomfortable now, Apollo stood. "What is it you aren't telling us?" he queried softly.

A secret flickered beyond Aurox's blue-moonstone eyes. They had been changing ever so slowly. "I might know where to find your Rune, Erik," he announced. I no longer wanted to strangle him.

I wanted to see if he could lead me to the very thing that would help us rescue Starr.


	5. Chapter 5

_Unknown_

Not even after a minute after I got home, Neferet summoned me. She had to have spies or something to always know when I was home. …not that the apartment I lived in really felt like home to me since the accident, but still.

"You called, Priestess?" The word always felt like it would get stuck on my tongue. But "goddess" was even worse, so I was thankful she did not have me say that.

Neferet had her hands pressed to her temples. "I have such a migraine," she complained. "Will you be a dear and find Christophe? I need him to do an area sweep to make sure there are no traitors on our hands."

"I beg your pardon, Priestess?" Could she possibly know about Aurox? "You can tell when someone will betray you?"

She smiled at me wearily. "Yes, pet, it's a bonus for avenging you. Luckily you didn't die when your charge was killed, too." Closing her eyes, she sighed. That was my sign of dismissal.

I lingered for a moment before complying. I was not about to find Christophe, though. If any of them knew that it was me, I would surely be executed this time. Later I would go back and give her a false report. For now, I had to find out what was really going on.

The scribes looked up from their books. One of the main scholars got to his feet and come over to me. "How may we assist you, Great One?" he inquired, doing a quick bow.

I scanned the book-filled walls of the massive library, then decided my best chance would be to get his help. "I'm looking for Greek mythology. Neferet suggested I read up on my past."

"Of course. You were one of Chaos' greatest creations."

"I… what?"

"Chaos, the powerful Creator of All," the scholar explained. I caught my reflection in a mirror hanging nearby. I looked haggard, my long brown hair matted and tangled with burrs. The skin around my eyes was tight; the irises themselves were turning less black and more of a brown. As the scholar continued to explain to me where I had originally come from, something clicked in my mind.

"You need to run," I told him when he was finished, better than any book I could read. "Neferet is searching for traitors, and I'm not sure she'd appreciate you telling me this."

Another scribe gave me a hollow smile. "We would if we could, Great One, but we're prisoners here. So are you."

"Not all cells have bars," my helper chimed in sadly.

Feeling strangely melancholy, I left. I had to make that report to Neferet before I decided to do anything. If I could get myself and the scholars away from the damned place, where would I go? Aurox would be willing to help, but I wouldn't see him for another day. I needed a plan before I dragged him into this.

"Priestess," I greeted. Neferet looked up. By now she never expected me to show any sign of respect. "There are no visible signs of a traitor. Are you still unwell?"

"It is quite funny, that I should feel better when you are not in my presence." I blinked, holding back my emotions. I could feel her straining to get a read on my mind, but something now blocked her from doing so. "Perhaps my Consort will speak to you on the matter."

An icy chill slid down my back. Darkness erupted from nowhere. Distantly, I realized I was screaming, but I couldn't hear myself over the blood roaring in my ears. The white bull snorted and Neferet laughed; I could hear them like hammers in my skull.

_Keep away from here, Aurox! _was my last thought. Whether or not he heard me was another matter.

_Stark _

Erik stiffened, his blue eyes glazed over with pain. Aurox shook his head, pressing at his temples. I watched, more confused than I was worried, until both of them were as straight as statues. Neither of them moved – in fact, they looked too afraid to move.

"What's wrong with them?" I asked Apollo, who passed a hand in front of each of their faces. "Will they be okay?"

"I'm not sure," he admitted. "I think Starr might have cried out to them, wherever she is and whatever happened to her. It couldn't have been good."

Aurox clenched his fists, released from whatever spell it was before Erik, who was still frozen. "Damn it, Neferet!" he exclaimed, radiating fury. "I was so close to her, too!"

"Who?" I inquired, waiting for him to punch something. In all honesty, I wanted a fight, even if my opponent was Aurox.

"Stella." He shook his head. "Starr. I called her Stella when I found her because it hurt her to think of what she was – _who _she was – before Darkness took her."

Erik whirled suddenly and punched Aurox square in the jaw. "You should have gotten her out of there when you had the chance! She wouldn't be brainwashed now if you had!" He looked haggard all of a sudden, his blue eyes nearly gray. "My Starr, I am so sorry…" Tears misted over his dark gaze, although he clearly was not about to cry. It was just a reflex.

"What happened?" I jumped to my feet, as angry now for not knowing as they were for sensing it. "What the hell just attacked my sister?"

Apollo eyed them both carefully, addressing me. "She began to uncover too much about her accident. Zoey sent Aurox after her. When Aurox found Starr, he had enough sense to only be there for her. But something changed when she was with him, because she went to the finest scribes they have, and one of the scholars told her about Asteri, about Chaos and the others. Her subconscious was about to break free of Neferet's control when Neferet called the white bull to deal with a traitor in their midst. She didn't know who it was, but Darkness did. It tortured her. The bull took away everything from Starr. She's little more than a mindless servant now."

"How the hell did you know that?" Erik demanded.

I met the sorrowful depths. "He read through the distress call the two of you got, tracked it to where Starr is, and then went from there." I shrugged as Apollo glanced at me curiously.

"She's gone again and it's my fault." Aurox hung his head.

Erik sighed. "No, it's not. You did what you could, given the circumstances. I should've protected her better in the first place."

Apollo glared at all of us. "What the hell did I do?" I snapped at him.

"You have the two things that might help us most," he told me, voice steely. "Not only is Starr your sister, but you used to be Dark. Those two connections can very well get you into their fortress, at least long enough to figure out where they're keeping her. And you can buy us some time to find the Rune."

"What about Zoey?" I queried. "Ever think of her?"

"Even you have to admit that Zoey is safer than Starr at the moment." Apollo's condescending tone made my heart ache.

_Plus she has her affinities, which she never uses; _the words were left unsaid. I closed my eyes, exhaling slowly before I snapped again. "I have a choice to make, don't I?" When I reopened my eyes, Aurox had sat down on Erik's bed, looking exhausted. Apollo smiled hollowly at me.

Erik just appeared defeated, so I went over and smacked him. His expression turned bewildered as he met my gaze. "Why?" he exclaimed, referring to the blow.

"I'm getting her back," I said, determined. I turned back to Apollo. "Tell me what I have to do."


	6. Chapter 6

_Erik_

My leg bounced up and down in anxiety. Aurox stayed close to me during the whole process to make sure I would not disturb any of it. By the time Apollo was done, I hardly recognized Stark. His dark eyes were an almost fathomless black, and the resemblance to Starr was so painful that I was grateful Aurox was there, ready to restrain me. His red vamp tattoos were bloodlike.

Even Stark's voice was deeper. "I have rejected the values of Light in favor of my true calling. I am forever your servant, my Dark Goddess."

"Damn," I managed to get out.

Apollo clapped Stark on the shoulder. "Just make sure you stay away from the white bull as much as possible." His eyes flashed. "I know you want revenge, but the greatest revenge of all will be getting your sister back from them. You cannot give away our secret." The Warrior nodded once.

"I'll do my best to keep Zoey out of harm's way," Aurox promised. "Maybe we can teach her that affinities are meant to be used, not wasted."

"If I really do turn Dark, I give you permission to kill me." Stark looked directly at me when he said it. "No one but you, though. Because if I fail, no one else will be able to."

I smiled slightly at him, my heart pounding. "If anyone can bring Starr back, it's you. But if things go wrong, feel free to bring a war back on us. We need her in a fighting mood if she doesn't listen to reason."

"I know." Stark strapped his bow across his back, along with a quiver of arrows. "It might come to that, if I know my sister. And if I know Neferet, it'll be even worse than we think." He picked up his claymore, scrutinized it, and put it back on the bed. "Put that blade with Starr's. If neither of us has our swords…"

"Do you really think it's smart to bring your bow?" Aurox asked cautiously.

Stark tapped his Marks. "It'll be weirder if I don't." He nodded again to Apollo. "I'm ready," he said, although he looked far from it.

In one moment, both Apollo and Stark vanished in a ray of (non-burning) sunlight. Then Apollo reappeared. His amber eyes were solemn. "It is done," he announced.

"What are we supposed to tell Zoey?"

"Tell me what?" I closed my eyes at the sound of her voice. By the stiffness in the Vessel beside me, I knew that Aurox had not expected her to hear his question. I hated hurting her in the first place, but now this was just ridiculous. "Guys… I thought Stark was in here with you?"

When I reopened my eyes, Apollo had frozen time. "What?" he exclaimed when I glowered at him. "I called in a favor from Chronos before I left. I can do this only five times. This is my first."

"Why'd you do it in the first place?" I looked at our frozen companions.

He shrugged. "It was as good a time as any to try it out. Plus, you need time to think about what you want to tell Zoey. You can't tell her the whole truth, or she'll go after him." He was frowning.

"I know she will. I used to date her." I knew what I wanted to say, though. "What if I tell her he went to watch the gates of Darkness? To keep any others from being tainted like Starr?"

Apollo nodded thoughtfully. "If you honestly think she'll believe it, it should work," he agreed.

When time returned to normal, I fed Zoey the lie. "We didn't want to tell you that Stark left to guard the gates of Darkness. If they claim anyone from Light, he can stop them from being tainted." I was so, so glad I was good at acting. Otherwise I wasn't sure if I could pull it off.

"Oh." She made a face for a second. "Well, I guess that makes sense. Stevie Rae and Stark have the most experience with Darkness, after all, and we need another High Priestess other than me."

"Meanwhile, you never do anything to prove you're still the Chosen Fledgling High Priestess of Nyx. Does it ever occur to you that you should work on your affinities and strengthening them before the war continues? A respite like this will never last, and we need you to lead us, apparently. We need you _to fight for us_."

Zoey took a step away from Apollo, who was beginning to radiate a furious heat. I felt my blood freeze over from years of practice, keeping me safe from the rising temperature. I placed a hand on Aurox's shoulder to spread some of that same protection to him. Zoey could suffer alone. She needed to learn.

"Water!" she exclaimed. "Come to me! Keep me safe from Apollo's wrath!"

The air chilled around us. Apollo nodded in a self-satisfied gesture. "That's what you need to do. I wasn't really pissed, so it didn't take as much to stop it from reaching you, but I highly suggest you figure out how to strengthen yourself." He gave all of us a look. "Tell the others. We have today and tomorrow, and then we leave."

_The Master Rune awaits you, old Guardian, _a whispered voice hissed into my ear. I shivered for an entirely different reason than my slowly-melting blood.

Aurox left to help Zoey inform everyone else. I collapsed onto the bed. "Apollo, what are we going to do?" I groaned.

"Find your Rune and rescue Starr." He rested a hand on the crescent on my forehead. Blissful warmth mixed with the sudden chill in my limbs, and I sighed. "Erik, you have to trust yourself. You found your way back to her a thousand times in the past; you can save her again. There's nobody else who can bear the Master Rune except for you." He then poked my forehead. I blinked at him in surprise. "So suck it up and put on a brave face, idiot Guardian."

Even through my shock, I felt a smile pulling at my lips. "You're a real piece of work, you know that?"

"That's what everyone tells me." He smiled back. "Get some rest. You need it more than the rest of us." When he left, so did my grin.

I was sending everyone to their deaths.


End file.
